Dreaming to Adventure
by AC
Summary: A story about an average Slayers fan and her not-so-average adventures...
1. Chapter 1- To Another World? No Ordinar...

**Chapter 1- To Another World? No Ordinary Dream!**  
  
  
_On the other side of the garden was another building. She hurried down the hallway and sped around a corner, nearly crashing into someone coming the other way. Xelloss! A noise behind her caused her to spin around._  
  
Kristy blinked, then moaned and get out of bed.  
"I thought I turned that stupid alarm clock off," she grumbled. "Oh well, now that I'm up..." she took off for the kitchen to fin some breakfast.  
A little later, the phone rang. Kristy dashed over to answer.  
"Hello?"  
"Hey, Kristy! It's Sarah."  
"'Lo. So What're you doing up this early in the morning?"  
"Calling you. I still have to get you back for that 'Ohayo!' at three a.m."  
"Hey, I gave you fair warning..."  
"Whatever. So how're you doing?"  
"Just got up twenty minutes ago, stupid alarm clock... But I had a really cool dream last night."  
"Wait, let me guess... Xelloss again?"  
"Yep."  
"So that's what, the fourth one this month?"  
"Fifth."  
"Sheesh, why don't you just get on the internet and make a shrine to the guy! You all ready spend enough time looking at other people's sites."  
"...It's not like I can control what I dream about."  
"True, but it can be affected by what you're always thinking about."  
".....Do you really expect a reply to that?"  
"No, not really –Oh, crap! –Um, I gotta go. If my parents catch me on the phone this early I'll never hear the end of it."  
"Okay, see ya!"  
"Bye!"  
Kristy hung up the phone and stretched. Soon after she was sitting on the couch reading Fushigi Yuugi (again) and listening to a mix of J-pop and anime music.  
_Just one last day without any parents or brothers around, she thought, so I'm gonna enjoy it._  


----------

Kristy had just finished lunch when another of her friends, Matt, called.  
"Hey, I just got something that I know you're gonna love," he said.  
"What is it?" Kristy asked.  
"You'll have to see. Can you come over?"  
"My parents have both cars. But you could come over here."  
"Okay. See you in a bit."  
About fifteen minutes later the doorbell rang.  
"So, what's this thing you had to show me?" Kristy asked Matt when he was inside.  
_"Sore wa himitsu desu!"_ Matt replied with a grin.  
"Hey, you know the only reason I let you get by with that is 'cause it's Xelloss's signature quote..."  
"I know, but it's still fun."  
"Seriously though, what is it I have to see?"  
"This." Matt pulled a pile of Slayers Try DVDs out of his bag.  
"You got the whole set?"  
"Yep."  
"Cool! You want to watch them now?"  
"Of course. Which episodes?"  
"Our favorites, of course; the final battle."  
"Right!"  


----------

Much later that evening, Kristy was getting ready for bed.  
_What a great day,_ she thought. _Too bad everyone's coming home tomorrow. Oh well, it was fun while it lasted..._  
_Hmm, I wonder if I'll have any more interesting dreams tonight?_ she thought as she drifted off to sleep.  
  
_Outside the building a fence enclosed several more large birds. No one else was around. Behind the building, someone was there. The figure turned around.  
"My my, what an interesting dreamscape," Xelloss said.  
"Wha? Dream... Xelloss??"  
"Your dream, specifically."_  
Kristy suddenly fully realized she was dreaming.  
"A dream..." she said to herself, looking around. Finally she turned back towards Xelloss. The mazoku simply resumed talking.  
"I, however, am not a part of your dream."  
"Huh? But how do I know this whole thing isn't only my imagination making things seem like that?"  
Xelloss waited as Kristy continued to reason with herself.  
"...Then again, if it IS a part of my dream, I can control certain things, so..." She concentrated hard for a few moments. Then she looked back at Xelloss. "Well, I guess that proves it," she said. "You're definitely not a part of my dream."  
"Well, now that that's settled, I have a proposition you may find interesting."  
"Is that so?"  
Xelloss didn't take notice of Kristy's somewhat sarcastic comment and continued talking.  
"If I am not mistaken, you have an interest in the world I am from- 'Slayers', I believe is what you call it."  
"Yeah, maybe..."  
"Well, it just so happens that there is in fact a way for you to go there."  
"Wha-?!"  
"Yes. Just as I can enter your dreams, I can also take you from them into my world."  
"That sounds so cool. But, I wouldn't want everyone to be worried, if I just disappeared like that..."  
"No need to worry! When and if you ever want to come back, you will be returned to the exact moment you left."  
"Are you sure?"  
"Of course! Are you coming?"  
"Well, why not?" Kristy hesitated for a moment. "By the way, just how did you manage to find my dreams in the first place?"  
Xelloss smiled.  
"Now that is a secret!"  
Kristy could've kicked herself for slipping up like that. Xelloss continued.  
"Are you ready to go?"  
"Yep!"  
"All right then. Now, be sure to concentrate hard on traveling between worlds. If you get too distracted, you'll simply wake up in your own bed and that'll be the end of it." He paused and looked towards Kristy, who nodded that she understood. "Well then, here we go!"  
Immediately everything shifted. Kristy felt like she was both awake and asleep at the same time. It was so hard to concentrate! But she put every effort into focusing on her goal: to wake up in the Slayers world rather than her own bed. There was a sudden jolt, and Kristy remembered no more.  


----------

Kristy woke up, squinting at the bright sunlight in her eyes. A light breeze rustled through the leaves. _Leaves?_ Kristy sat up suddenly and looked around. Trees, open fields, bright blue sky... She'd made it. She was now in the world of Slayers.  
  
  
**End of Chapter 1**  
  
  
**********  
  
Hi everyone! This is Kristy speaking. Look for this Afterword section at the end of each chapter to hear me talk about stuff in the story. Sometimes some of the others will be here as well.  
Anyway, on to me topic for discussion. I'm sure some of you are wondering just how I was able to get to the Slayers world, am I right? Well it works like this:  
All worlds are connected in some way. In some cases, like the four worlds of the Slayers series, there is a very close connection that's easy to figure out. Other connections can be much more abstract. The connection between the Slayers world and the "real" world is dreams. Why dreams? Simple. In the real world, Slayers is made up, a product of the imagination. In other words, it's a dream. So that's how the two worlds are connected, and how I was able to cross into one from another.  
Well, that's all for today! Be sure come check back next chapter!  



	2. Chapter 2- The Adventure Begins! Reveng...

**Chapter 2- The Adventure Begins! Revenge of the Bandit Gang!**  
  
  
The sun shone brightly, and a light breeze blew gently by. Kristy looked all around, taking in every detail of the surrounding landscape. She could hardly believe that she was actually in the world of Slayers.  
"Well, I see you managed to make it here," a voice came from behind and above her. Kristy turned to see, not surprisingly, Xelloss sitting comfortably on a tree branch. The mazoku jumped to the ground.  
"I noticed you've all read taken care of appropriate clothing for the region," he said.  
"Yeah. I figured that since I was coming from my dream, if I changed something while in the dream it would stay in effect when I came here."  
"Of course," Xelloss replied. "But, you didn't happen to think of bringing money as well, did you? That can be quite a necessity, especially when around Lina."  
Kristy shook her head.  
"No, I have no idea what kind of currency is used..."  
"No need to worry, I took care of that for you." He took out a bag. "Now, the value of this piece is..."  
A few minutes later, Kristy was pretty sure she'd mastered the knowledge of Slayers currency.  
"So, this is worth more than this, and _this_ one is worth the most. And a few of these can buy a good meal."  
"Why, I believe you've got it!"  
Xelloss put the coins back into the bag and handed it to Kristy. Kristy looked around.  
"Say, are we going to meet up with Lina and the others sometime?" she asked.  
"They should be coming right about now..." Xelloss replied, glancing toward the path. Sure enough, a familiar quartet of characters could be seen approaching. It wasn't long before Lina spotted Xelloss.  
"Hey, Xelloss!" she called, and came running to speak with her frequent traveling companion. "What're you doing here?" She noticed Kristy. "Hey, who's that?"  
"This is Kristy," Xelloss introduced her as the rest of the gang had finally caught up. "Kristy, meet Lina, Gourry, Zelgadis, and Amelia."  
Kristy, who was a bit nervous and uncertain what to do, managed a muffled "hi".  
"So, Xelloss, how do you happen to know her?" Zelgadis asked.  
"Well, that's a secret, but I suppose you could say we're friends." Xelloss was quite pleased with the chimera's annoyed expression, while Kristy was finding it very difficult to keep from turning a bright red.  
"Say Kristy," Lina said, ignoring Zelgadis and Xelloss, "just where are you from?"  
"Huh? Oh, well, I'm from, ah..."  
"Very far away," interrupted Xelloss. "You wouldn't recognize the name, Lina."  
"Yeah," Kristy agreed. "But I've seen- um, heard a lot of stories about you guys and some of your adventures."  
"Really?" Amelia looked excited. "What have you heard?"  
"Well, let me think... I know that you destroyed a piece of Shabranigdo, and were responsible for the defeat of the Demon Dragon King Gaav and Hellmaster Fibrizo..."  
Lina interrupted. "Hey, that's great and all, but you think you guys can talk and walk at the same time? I'd like to get to the next town by dinner!"  
Everyone readily agreed. They all knew the extent of Lina's hunger. And her anger, for that matter. While they were walking, Lina stepped over to talk with Kristy.  
"So, you say you've heard a lot about us?"  
"I suppose so..."  
"What have you heard about me?"  
"Well, um..." Kristy thought for a moment. "I've heard that you're so powerful, that even dragons know to fear you."  
Now, everyone knows that really isn't _exactly_ the reason Lina is called "Dragon Spooker," but Kristy wasn't too keen on finding out just what it felt like to be hit by one of Lina's spells. Regardless, Lina clearly enjoyed (and quite believed) the flattery, so Kristy was safe. Everyone in a good mood (with the exception of Zelgadis), they continued on down the path. 

----------

It was late evening. After a large supper, the group was staying overnight at the local inn; girls in one room, guys in the other. Lina had been questioning Kristy about anything she could think of for most the evening. Needless to say, she really didn't find out very much. Eventually Lina grew tired of questioning, and the conversation lapsed. Amelia spoke up.  
"Hey Kristy, how old are you?" she asked.  
"Oh, I'm seventeen."  
"Really?" Lina looked up. "That's nearly the same age as me!"  
Kristy was about to reply when there was the sound of a large explosion nearby.  
"What was that?!"  
"It sounded like it came from just outside!"  
They quickly dashed outside the inn, where they met up with the guys. In the fading twilight they could see a large group of tough-looking men, with a few trolls and other monsters here and there throughout the group. The townspeople could be seen peeking out fearfully at the scene from behind doors and shuttered windows. A hush fell over all present.  
After a rather awkward silence, one of the men stepped forward.  
"Which one of you is Lina Inverse?" he asked.  
"That's be me," Lina said, stepping forward. "What's all this commotion about?"  
The man laughed. "Ha ha, at last we have found you, Lina Inverse. I am Kotri, the blazing eagle! I was formally a member of the Big Bad Bandit-men, which you destroyed, and I am now the leader of all before you." He paused to catch his breath, and quickly continued before anyone else could speak. "All the men you see here with me have suffered similar misfortunes. We have all come together and sworn a solemn oath to destroy the one who has brought us such harm and misery. We call ourselves," he paused dramatically, "the Kill Lina Inverse Gang!" The men behind him cheered and hollered. Lina looked like she was debating whether to be extremely angry or completely exasperated. Kristy, thoroughly bored, looked around to see if there was something better to do. There wasn't.  
Once the shouting had died down, Lina spoke up.  
"Look, I don't know what your problem is, but it's getting late, and I had been looking forward to a good night's sleep. So if you all would just head quietly on out of here..."  
Kotri laughed. "Ha ha ha, you think we'd just get up and leave without getting our revenge? You are a fool. Now, face the wrath of the Kill Lina Inverse Gang! Attack!"  
What followed was pure mayhem. If all the gang had consisted of had been a mismatched group of bandits, things would've been over fairly quickly. But apparently there were also several sorcerers who had joined up as well, not to mention the hired trolls and other random monsters.  
Kristy kept to the outside, trying to stay away from any danger. It wasn't exactly an easy thing to do. She dodged the flying body of one of the bandits and paused to catch her breath. She looked up, and saw a stray bolt of magic flying right for her! She had no time to duck or run, and watched as it sped forward, then suddenly crashed as if into an invisible wall a few feet in front of her. She turned around to see Zelgadis behind casting a magic shield around her.  
"You'd better get out of here and find someplace safe to hide quickly," he said, "if you don't want to be killed."  
Kristy nodded in agreement, and hurriedly took shelter in a nearby (and safe looking) building. She'd wait there until the fighting was over.  
  
  
**End of Chapter 2**  
  
********  
  
Hey there! Kristy here. So, things are certainly starting to get interesting aren't they? But seriously, what idiot came up the name "Kill Lina Inverse Gang" anyway? That's got to be one of the stupidest things I've ever heard! But then again, knowing the level of intelligence of some people in the Slayers world, I guess it's not too surprising.  
Anyway, I seemed to get the impression that Lina was a little suspicious of me when we first met, but she was quite friendly later, so maybe not.  
So, is everyone enjoying the story? I sure am. I mean, meeting Xelloss was cool enough, but actually getting to go to the Slayers world made it even better! I hope that I'll get to meet some of the other characters, such as Sylphiel and Filia, as well.  
Well, it looks like I'm out of time for today, so bye! See you next chapter!  



	3. Chapter 3- Bed Without Breakfast! The B...

**Chapter 3- Bed Without Breakfast! The Battle's Aftermath!**  
  
  
Kristy sat in a corner, idly tracing patterns on the floor with her finger. Outside, a battle raged between Lina and friends and the "Kill Lina Inverse Gang." Kristy would've liked to help, but she didn't know any magic, nor did she have and particular skill in combat. So she was stuck hiding in a corner out of danger until the fighting was over.  
_Stupid,_ she thought to herself, _I should've realized something like this would probably happen. Though I'm sure _someone_ is having a great laugh over it..._  
But, thinking of Xelloss, there was no way Kristy could stay depressed. After all, she was really in the Slayers world, and that was nothing to scoff at.  
The sounds of fighting still continued, though now a great deal lessened. Kristy was trying to guess how many bandits had been taken care of by now when a body came crashing in through the window. The bandit stood up and paused a moment to recover his sense, then noticed Kristy. He smirked, hefting a mean-looking mace high into the air.  
_"Flare Arrow!"_  
Behind the extra-crispy remain of the bandit stood Zelgadis. He shook his head.  
"Even when you're away from danger you still need to be rescued." He turned and jumped back out the broken window. Kristy got up to find another hiding place, but hesitated a moment.  
_Might as well..._ she thought, and picked up the fallen mace. On it was a label: "Filia's Antiques and Mace Shop." _That so figures._ Curiosity satisfied, she found another corner and sat down to wait. 

----------

When the sounds of fighting had dwindled down to almost nothing, Kristy cautiously peeked out. Lina and company were finishing off the last dozen or so bandits, the rest having all ready been taken care of or fled the scene. In a few moments it was all over.  
Kristy carefully picked her way across the rubble in the last bit of fading daylight. Surprisingly, there was relatively little property damage; someone must've restrained Lina from using the Dragon Slave. When she reached the group, Kristy found them discussing the recent incident.  
"I got some information from one of the bandits," Zelgadis was saying. "He said that someone tipped them off that we were here."  
Lina nodded in agreement. "That leader of theirs really didn't seem the type to track someone down on his own... Say, where's Xelloss?"  
"He disappeared while that Kotri guy was talking," Kristy replied.  
"Figures," Lina said.  
"What figures?" Gourry asked. Lina smacked him over the head.  
"Stupid!"  
"Ow! What did you do that for?"  
"Anyway," Lina continued, ignoring Gourry, "I'm exhausted. Think they'll still let us stay at the inn?" 

----------

The next morning found the group on the road once again. They had been able to stay at the inn after all, but the townspeople had promptly booted them out early that morning, without any breakfast! Needless to say, no one was in the greatest mood.  
"Soooo huuungry..." Lina moaned.  
"The next town isn't far," Zelgadis said. "You should be able to make it for only a few hou-" he was interrupted by a loud growl from his stomach. The chimera turned a bright red. "Well, maybe we can find some fruit nearby..."  
Lina shushed him. "Quiet! I thought I smelled something..."  
Everyone fell silent for a few moments.  
"Hey, I smell it, too," Gourry said. "It smells like-"  
"FOOD!!!"  
Lina headed the charge through the nearby woods to a small stream, where someone had left their meal cooking unsupervised. Lina and Gourry immediately pounced on the food. The others hesitated.  
"Do you think we should?" Zelgadis wondered aloud.  
"Oooh, Mister Zelgadis, if we don't do something they're going to eat it all!"  
Kristy had an idea. She took a few coins from her pouch and put them in one of the recently emptied bowls. Zelgadis looked puzzled for a moment, but quickly caught on, and between himself, Amelia, and Kristy the covered all the food consumed.  
"But what," Amelia asked once they'd eaten, "about whoever was making the food? There's nothing left for them to eat."  
"That's okay," Kristy replied, "there's still a lot of stuff left." She pointed to bags of uncooked rice and vegetables under a makeshift tent.  
"Besides, Lina added, "if we hadn't eaten it, all the food would've been overcooked and wasted."  
"So then, shall we be going?"  
"Of course! Um, which way was the path?"  
"_That_ way," Zelgadis pointed.  
"All right, let's go!"  
And with that they were off. 

--------

No longer desperate to find food, the group continued at a more relaxed pace. Late that morning they stopped by a sparkling lake for a quick rest, more to enjoy the pleasant weather and great view than because anyone was actually tired.  
"Um, Lina?" Kristy asked, a little nervously.  
"Yeah? What?" Lina answered casually, lying on the grass in the warm sunlight.  
"Well, um, I was wondering if since I don't know any, and last night I couldn't do anything to help or anything so, well, you know..."  
Lina sat up, looking confused. "Could you try that again? I couldn't understand what you're trying to say."  
Kristy hesitated for a moment, then finally gave in.  
"Could you teach me how to use magic?" she blurted.  
"Huh? Don't you know any yourself?"  
Kristy shook her head. "Where I'm from, nobody uses magic. Not real magic, at least, just illusions."  
"You've got to be kidding me! You mean to say you've never been around magic at all? Ever?"  
"Never. Though, I do know one thing about it..."  
"What's that?" Zelgadis seemed to have taken an interest in the conversation.  
"Well, I know that the incantation is one of the most important parts of the spell, because it determines the nature of the spell and where it draws its power from..."  
"And?" Zelgadis prompted.  
"That's all I know."  
"I see," Lina said. "But, if you've never been around magic before, how can you be sure you'll even be able to use it?"  
"I don't know, but I could still try."  
Zelgadis nodded. "And it would help if you could do something other than nearly getting killed whenever there's some sort of trouble."  
Lina considered for a few moments.  
"Well, okay, I suppose we can give it a try. Your first lesson will be tomorrow."  
"Thank you so much!"  
And to further show her gratitude, Kristy even paid for Lina's dinner. 

----------

Late the evening, back in the woods, a young man hurried back to his campsite. He wondered gloomily what kind of inedible mess of his intended breakfast he'd have to clean up. To his surprise, he found the meal completely eaten and paid for. There was even a note complimenting his cooking. He smiled as an idea came to him. Maybe falling in the river while fishing hadn't been such a bad thing after all.  
  
  
**End of Chapter 3**  
  
**********  
  
Welcome back! So, what do you think of the story so far? I can hardly believe I'm actually going to get a chance to learn magic! It kinda makes the incident with the Kill Lina Inverse Gang worthwhile, at least for me. Though I hope those guys are done for, or at least that leader Kotri guy. Idiots like that are bad enough when they're fictional...  
Lina: Hey Kristy! What's this?  
Kristy: Oh, hi Lina! This is the Afterword section, where I get to talk directly to the readers.  
Lina: Really? Can I say something?  
Kristy: Sure, why not?  
Lina: All right! Hey there! You guys are looking at the beautiful sorcery genius, Lina Inverse! So how about the story so far? Am I great or what? ... Hey, Kristy, how do I know if anyone's going to read this?  
Kristy: Trust me, they're reading it...  
Lina: Good.  
Kristy: Well, that seems to be all for today. Come back for the next chapter!  



	4. Chapter 4- Destructive Spells! The Maid...

**Chapter 4- Destructive Spells! The Maiden from Where?**  
  
  
Lina sighed and shook her head. It was all ready the sixth time Kristy had tried to cast Lighting that day. While she had managed to get a faint spark once or twice, the girl couldn't seem to get the hang of the mental focus magic required, and she'd been trying for the last several days.  
"I think that's enough for today..." Lina said.  
"Please, can't I try just one more time? I think I know what to do now."  
"Well, all right, just once more. But we really need to get moving as soon as you're done."  
"Okay."  
Kristy paused a moment to concentrate on forming the spell. If this didn't work, she was all out of ideas to try.  
_"Light which burns beyond crimson flame, let thy power gather in my hand! Lighting!"_  
As she spoke the last word, a sudden bright light forced her to close her eyes. She blinked, squinting at the glowing sphere between her hands. _I did it,_ she thought.  
"Hey, I did it!" she said out loud.  
"Yes, that you did, but blinding yourself with your own light spell isn't a very good idea," Zelgadis looked a little amused.  
"Good job there, Kristy," Lina said, "it looks like you've finally mastered your first spell. A small one, but a spell none the less."  
"I know I couldn't do that," Gourry said.  
"You're too stupid to, Jellyfish Brains," was Lina's immediate retort.  
"So," Zelgadis commented, "are we going to get moving or just sit around casting light spells all day?"  
"Eh? Oh yeah! Let's get to town quickly and have a celebration feast!" Lina's suggestion drew cheers from everyone but Zelgadis, who sighed and muttered something about every meal being a feast, at least by a normal person's standards. No one paid him any attention, of course.  


----------

Sometime later, the landscape suddenly changed. Where there had once been hilly fields and thick groves of trees, there was now a burnt-out crater.  
"What... happened here?"  
"It almost looks like one of your Dragon Slaves, Lina," Zelgadis commented.  
"But that's impossible!" Lina replied. "I don't remember coming this way before, and even if I did I definitely didn't do that. Besides," she continued, "it must've happened recently, because none of the plant life has started to recover yet."  
Zelgadis nodded, slowly looking over the scene.  
"Hey, I can see a town from here!"  
Everyone turned to see that Amelia had climbed one of the half-burnt trees and was perched on a branch near the top.  
"Maybe someone there could tell us what's going on..."  
This was readily agreed to and the group immediately continued on. (After getting Amelia out of the tree, of course.)  


----------

As they approached the town they found several people busily repairing damage done to a couple of houses and sheds.  
"Hey!" Lina stopped one man as he walked by carrying a hammer and some boards of wood. "Can you tell us what's going on here?"  
The man looked the group over. "You must not be from around here, huh?" he replied.  
"Of course not. So can't you tell us what's happened?"  
"Sure thing." He set down the boards he'd been carrying. "Well, 'bout three months ago, this demon started attacking the town with a whole gang of monsters. They'd come an' steal food and just generally destroy stuff. We tried our best to drive them off, but that demon was just too clever an' too strong, an' lots of people were hurt. Then one day this maiden, says she's from Sairaag, shows up an' starts healing people and helping everyone. So anyway s'not long before she hears 'bout the demon and his gang, an' she insists on helping to fight him. So one day she confronts them out in the field a few minutes out of town. We were all worried that she'd get herself hurt, but she chants some spell and takes out the lot of 'em with one shot! 'Course, it also burned out a good part of the land out there, but that's a small price for such a great service, don't you think?" he picked up the boards again and was about to head off again. Lina stopped him.  
"Wait, this maiden you mentioned, you said she was from Sairaag?"  
"Well, that's what she told us..."  
The group exchanged glances.  
"Think it could be...?"  
"It's possible," Zelgadis replied.  
"Right." Lina turned to the now rather bewildered man. "Can you tell us where we can find this maiden from Sairaag?"  
"I suppose she's likely to be somewhere in the middle of town. Ask someone around there."  
"Thanks!" And with that the group continued onward to see if they could find this "maiden from Sairaag". After stopping to question a few people, they found themselves standing outside a house where they'd been told the maiden was staying. Lina knocked on the door. There was now answer, so she opened it and stepped inside.  
"Hello!" she called.  
"Lina?" a voice responded from another room. A girl with long, dark hair came out from the kitchen. "Is that you?"  
"Sylphiel! I thought so! What are you doing here!"  
"Well, I had been traveling when I came across this town. The people here were in trouble, so I stayed to help them."  
"What about the bug crater outside the town?"  
"Oh, that! There had been a gang of evil monsters and demons attacking the town. They refused to either cease or leave, and attacked me, so I used the Dragon Slave."  
Lina was just about to make a reply, but Gourry interrupted.  
"Hey, Sylphiel, what smells so good? Is it you cooking?"  
"Why yes, it is. Would you like something to eat, dearest Gourry?"  
Gourry happily agreed and Sylphiel led the way to the kitchen. The others followed, except for (surprisingly) Lina, who seemed to be frozen in some state of surprise or shock. Kristy tapped her on the shoulder.  
"Lina? Don't you want something to eat?"  
"Wha? Oh yeah!" Lina dashed to the kitchen. "Hey Gourry! Leave some for the rest of us!"  
Kristy had to try hard to keep from laughing out loud at the situation between Lina, Gourry, and Sylphiel.  


----------

Once the frenzy of eating had died down a bit, a good deal of conversation started up. A good deal of the talk was about what everyone had been doing since they'd last meant, and of course Kristy had to be introduced to Sylphiel.  
"So," Sylphiel said, "you're on your way to the Valley of Dragons to visit an old friend?"  
"Well, more of an acquaintance than friend, but I suppose you could say that," Lina replied.  
"And you said that you've just been teaching Kristy here how to use magic?"  
"Yep. Even though it took her a while to catch on, she's finally seemed to be getting the hang of it."  
Sylphiel smiled. "That's nice to hear."  
The conversation lapsed for a few moments, then Sylphiel spoke up again.  
"Perhaps I should go with you on your journey, Lina. There probably isn't much more I can do here, and I could also help you instruct Kristy." Sylphiel was glancing at Gourry almost the entire time she spoke.  
"Well, ah, I don't know. They seem to still be needing your help here, and well... Hey, we never told you about our biggest adventure after we defeated Hellmaster Fibrizo, did we?"  
Lina immediately launched into a detailed account of their exploits, the telling of which lasted well into the night.  


----------

Early the next morning, the group was on the road again. They had enjoyed the visit with Sylphiel, but Lina was quite eager to be on the road again. They hadn't raveled too long, however, when they heard someone behind them.  
"Wait! Please wait!"  
In a few moments Sylphiel had caught up with the group.  
"Sylphiel? What're you doing?" Lina asked.  
Once she'd caught her breath, Sylphiel replied. "Well, I spoke with the townspeople, and we decided that there really wasn't much more I could do to help, so I might as well go along with you. But you all left so quickly that I didn't have a chance to tell you." She smiled. "But that's all right, I can still come with you now. Isn't that right, my dear Gourry?" She stared at the oblivious swordsman with a sweet smile. Lina's face was twisted into an expression that was impossible to read. Moments later she realized that everyone else had continued on without her.  
"Hey, you guys! Wait up!"  
No one seemed to notice Lina's absence, except for the ever-observant Kristy, who stopped and looked back.  
"Hey Lina, everyone's leaving without you..."  
"I know," Lina growled. She muttered the incantation of a spell. _"Fireball!"_  
Kristy jumped away from the path of the explosive spell. She looked to the now unconscious Gourry, Sylphiel, Amelia, and Zelgadis.  
"Ah, what're you going to do when they wake up?" she asked.  
Lina shrugged. "Say it was an accident?"  
"I suppose..." She looked at the results of the blast, then back at Lina. "Um, could teach me that?"  
  
  
**End of Chapter 4**  
  
**********  
  
Hello again! Welcome to the afterwo- Hey what are you guys doing here?  
Amelia: I heard about this and had to come check it out!  
Gourry: Ah, yeah.  
Zelgadis: .....  
Lina: C'mon you guys, you can say something more than that!  
Kristy: No, they can't! How did you guys find out about this place anyway! Lina I all ready know...  
Sylphiel: I heard of it from Lina.  
Gourry: Sylphiel told me.  
Amelia: Gourry mentioned it to me.  
Zelgadis: Amelia told me all about it.  
Xelloss: I all ready knew.  
Lina: Xelloss! You weren't even in this chapter!  
Xelloss: But I am in the fic!  
Kristy: Hey you guys, this is supposed to be MY section!  
_Everyone ignores her._  
Lina: So what! That doesn't mean you should be here!  
Amelia: Mister Zelgadis! Don't you think we should stop them from fighting?  
Zelgadis: .....  
Gourry: What's going on here?  
Sylphiel: Gourry dear, I'll explain it to you.  
Lina: No, you won't!  
Kristy: This is MY Afterword! Mine! Awww....  



	5. Chapter 5- Fights Over Nothing! The Sho...

**Chapter 5- Fights Over Nothing! The Short-Tempered Ones!**  
  
  
As it turned out, the incident with Lina's Fireball provided the perfect opportunity to teach Kristy the ever-useful Recovery. Of course, that still didn't justify casting Fireball in the first place, but as everyone knew Lina's short and often irrational temper, it was decided to let it slide.  
Once everyone was fully healed they continued on. Around midday they stopped to eat and to give Kristy a few magic lessons. It turned that her only trouble had been getting used to using magic in the first place. Once she knew what she was doing, she caught on fairly quickly. Naturally, Sylphiel insisted on teaching Kristy as much white magic as possible, along with Lina's black and shamanistic spells (with some occasional help from Zelgadis on the latter, of course).  
They only stopped a short time, though, as everyone preferred to minimize nights spent out in the woods. That and the fact that it was absolutely necessary to restock their supply of food on a regular basis.  


----------

Over the next several days, nothing much happened other than the occasional run-ins with bandits or monsters. Once sunny afternoon, the group was talking cheerfully as they continued on their way.  
"Yeah," Lina was saying, "but don't you think he's just a little... stupid at times?"  
"Why Lina, how can you say such things about good Gourry!" Sylphiel replied. "He isn't stupid, he just likes to look at things differently."  
Gourry, who was chatting amiably with Amelia, was completely unaware that he was the topic of the nearby conversation.  
"I suppose Sylphiel has a point..." Kristy didn't dare say any more, seeing the look on Lina's face.  
"I don't care how you rationalize it," Lina growled. "He may be a great swordsman, but that doesn't mean he doesn't have the brains of a jellyfish!"  
"Oh my, you certainly seem to be quite upset about something, Lina."  
Lina froze, clenching her fists. Both Kristy and Sylphiel flinched at the murderous edge in Lina's voice.  
"You had better not say one more word, Xelloss, or I promise you will have no less than a Dragon Slave coming to you," she said.  
Xelloss, for once, said nothing, more because there was no witty reply to make to Lina's statement than because he was afraid of her. After a moment had passed Lina had calmed from a murderous rage to merely being extremely annoyed.  
"Just what are you doing here, anyway?" she asked.  
"That," Xelloss replied, "is a secret!"  
Lina sighed. "Fine. Just stay out of my way."  
"Oh dear, I'm sorry, was I in your way before?" Xelloss easily dodged the large rock that came flying at his head. Lina stomped angrily on down the path, trying to ignore Xelloss. Kristy was whispering something to Sylphiel.  
"Of course!" Sylphiel said. "That's a great idea."  
"Okay then. Hey, Lina!" Kristy ran to catch up with the sorceress.  
"What?" Lina growled, stopping and turning around. Kristy flinched and took a step back.  
"Well, um, we were talking, and since it's getting kinda late we thought maybe we should stop here and Sylphiel could fix something to eat."  
"Huh? Food?"  
"Yeah. But if you want to keep on going that's all..." Kristy hadn't even finished her sentence before Lina was all ready back with the others, asking Sylphiel what she was going to make and if there was anything she could do to help speed things along.  
_Behold, the power of food..._ Kristy thought as she walked back to go help Sylphiel, as the sound of Gourry's voice could be heard.  
"Hey, what are we doing again?"  


----------

Kristy relaxed on the grass, munching on the last of her meal and tossing bits of carrot to a small, rabbit-like creature that had emerged from the nearby woods.  
"The was clever."  
The creature hissed and dashed back off into the trees.  
"What was?" Kristy asked.  
"Getting Lina to calm so quickly," Xelloss replied. "Clever use of other people's abilities. I don't know if I've ever seen Lina so angry before."  
"And you enjoyed every minute of it..." Kristy muttered. Xelloss took no notice and continued talking.  
"Of course, seeing as you have pretty much no ability to defend yourself, it would be a good idea to keep on good terms with your betters."  
"Well, I suppose it's not just the strong who find ways to survive, is it?" Kristy got up and walked back over to the rest of the group to see if there was any food left. "Hey Sylphiel, is there anything more to eat?"  
"No, Lina just finished off the last bit a few minutes ago. Could you help me put this away?"  
"Okay."  
Soon after, the group was on their way again.  
"You do realize," Zelgadis said to Sylphiel and Kristy, "that Lina will want another meal when we get to the next town..."  
"Yeah," Kristy replied, but that's still better than her ready to Dragon Slave the next thing that annoys her in the slightest."  
Sylphiel, Zelgadis, and Amelia nodded in agreement.  


----------

Because of the extra stop, it was after dark by the time they reached the town. Naturally, Lina insisted on having a "snack" before retiring for the night. So it wasn't long before they found themselves at a local restaurant, Lina and Gourry eating everything they could lay their hands on. The two were just finishing up their last servings when a blonde-haired lady walking past the table tripped and crashed right into Lina.  
"Oh! I'm so sorry!" she exclaimed, helping Lina up. "Are you all right?"  
Lina, who didn't appreciate the interruption, turned around to give an angry reply, then paused in surprise.  
"Filia?!" she exclaimed.  
"Lina!" Filia was also surprised.  
"What are you doing here?!" they both asked each other in unison.  
Lina was the first to reply. "We're on our way to visit an old friend of ours. But what are you doing? And where's Val?"  
"Well," Filia said, "Jillas said he thought I could really use a vacation, so he and Grabos offered to take care of Val so I could have some time off to myself. They're both so thoughtful..."  
Zelgadis raised an eyebrow. "Isn't that a little dangerous, leaving Val with just those two?"  
"Oh, I thought of that, so I put up a few barrier spells to keep Val from getting himself into trouble. They ought to hold out for a while." Filia noticed Kristy. "Lina, you haven't introduced my to your friend."  
"Huh?" Lina looked up from a recently emptied bowl. "Oh! That's Kristy. Kristy, this is our friend Filia. She's a gold dragon."  
"Pleased to meet you," Filia said. Kristy nodded, a bit distracted. Filia continued talking to the group. "It's so nice to see you all together again, Lina, Gourry, Zelgadis, Amelia- and what was your name? Don't tell me... Ah yes, Sylphiel."  
"My my, aren't you forgetting someone?" Xelloss leaned over from the nearby table he'd been sitting at. "Tsk, do all former priestesses have such poor manners, or do the gold dragons just happen to be especially rude?"  
"You..." Filia growled. "What are _you_ doing here?"  
"That is a secret!"  
"Why you...!" Filia whipped out her mace, which Xelloss easily dodged.  
"Oh dear, do you always great old friends this way?"  
"'Friends'?!" Filia roared. "Get back here, you piece of filth!"  
Xelloss ducked and dodged Filia's attacks, as the dragon chased him about the restaurant, generally causing an uproar. Finally Lina, who had just finished eating and who thought the scene rather upsetting to one's stomach, called out.  
"Hey, Filia! Calm down, just ignore him! And Xelloss, cut it out all ready!"  
Xelloss disappeared and reappeared by Lina.  
"Ah, but it's so amusing to watch!" He looked back at Filia, who hadn't yet realized that her target was no longer in front of her. Lina grabbed him by the collar.  
"Leave her alone, or I might just have to practice my Ragna Blade on a certain mazoku."  
Xelloss shrugged. "I have more important things to do. And anyway it's no fun if nothing's being destroyed." He teleported away. Lina sighed.  
"I'm tired. Let's go find a room at the inn. C'mon, Filia, I can tell you about everything that's happened lately..."  
  
  
**End of Chapter 5**  
  
**********  
  
Lina: Hey, who'd everyone like the chapter?  
Xelloss: I found it quite satisfactory.  
Lina: That's only because you always got your way!  
Zelgadis: .....  
_The random conversations continue, while Kristy looks rather depressed._  
Filia: Hey, what's this about?"  
_No one seems to notice her._  
Filia: Kristy?  
Kristy: It's supposed to be MY Afterword section, but they came and took over!  
Filia: Really? That's not very polite...  
Kristy: I know... Say, Filia, think you could get everyone out?  
Filia: Certainly.  
_Filia whips out Mace-sama and proceeds to chase everyone out of the room._  
Kristy: Thanks a lot, Filia!  
Filia: Oh, it was my pleasure to give that mazoku filth a few things he so rightly deserved...  
_Filia leaves._  
Kristy: Well, I guess that that's all we have time for today. Oh, and a big thank-you to Dust Traveller who helped out with some ideas for this chapter. Well, see you next time!  



	6. Chapter 6- A Heated Battle! The Bandits...

**Chapter 6 - A Heated Battle! The Bandits Return!**  
  
  
Night found everyone staying at the local inn. As usual, the guys were in one room, the girls in the other, though the girls' room was beginning to get quite crowded. After hearing all about Lina's latest exploit, Filia was ready to move on to another topic.  
"So," she asked, "how did you meet Kristy?"  
"Oh, Xelloss introduced us," Lina replied casually. "I guess they know each other from somewhere."  
"Xelloss?!" Filia exclaimed. "That filthy mazoku?!"  
Lina looked rather amused. "Well, I can't claim to know what Xelloss is up to, but Kristy seems to be rather found of him."  
Filia turned to Kristy. "Is that true?"  
"Yes..." Kristy admitted. Filia looked as if she was debating whether to be disgusted, furious, or horrified. Suddenly, to everyone's surprise, her expression changed completely and she spoke in a kind voice.  
"Ah, I suppose that it's nothing to bother getting upset about. "You're still young and unaware of the full consequences of your actions. Though I still can't understand what there is to like about that cold, evil mazoku."  
Amelia sighed. "Ohh, unrequited love..."  
"I'm NOT in love with Xelloss!" Kristy exclaimed. "I just like him."  
"Hey, Amelia," whether Lina even heard Kristy or not was debatable, "that reminds me, how're things with you and Zelgadis?"  
Kristy decided that she didn't really want to her anything more from Amelia just then, so she figured it would be a good time to get to bed.  


----------

The next morning they were all on their way once again. Filia (and almost everyone else, for that matter) was rather annoyed to find Xelloss still hanging around, but everyone knew that there was nothing that could be done about it- Xelloss was just one of those things one had to put up with.  
About midday they stopped to eat and to give Kristy a few magic lessons. Once, after a rather explosive incident involving the Flare Arrow, Zelgadis pulled Lina aside for a word.  
"Just how much do you plan on teaching her?" he asked.  
"Well," Lina replied, "the Giga Slave's too dangerous for anyone, so that's out of the question. But I think she might be able to pull off the Ragna Blade, and most definitely the Dragon Slave."  
Zelgadis looked rather stunned for a moment, then muttered to himself as Lina walked out of earshot.  
"At least Kristy seems like someone who could actually handle the Dragon Slave responsibly..." He sighed and walked back to the group, deciding that it would probably be best if he kept an eye on the magic lessons.  
A little later they were on the road again. Filia seemed to have taken it as her duty to make sure that Kristy learned of all the abominable things Xelloss was and had down. Kristy just endured it, until Xelloss butted in.  
"Why, you say so many nice things about me!" he said with a smile. Naturally, the comment enraged Filia, forcing everyone else to try to get her to calm down once again. Finally they succeeded in the feat and continued on.  


----------

Sometime around mid afternoon, the group was passing through a forest. Suddenly Lina stopped.  
"What is it?" Gourry asked.  
"Sh! I thought I heard something..."  
Kristy wanted to say something. "Um, Lina?"  
"I said quiet!"  
"I know, but..."  
Movement could be heard in the bushes all around them. Within seconds they were completely surrounded by a small army of bandits.  
"Ha ha ha, we meet again, Lina Inverse!" an annoyingly familiar voice drifted down from on of the trees. Lina turned to Kristy.  
"Now what was it you wanted to say?"  
"Well, I don't think it really matters now, but I was trying to tell you that Xelloss had disappeared."  
Lina sighed. Sylphiel spoke up.  
"Lina? Just who is this man?" she asked.  
"I am Kotri! The blazing eagle!" Kotri announced, jumping to the ground. "I am the leader of the Kill Lina Inverse Gang that you see before you."  
Lina was getting bored. "Yeah, yeah, now would you all get out of our way so we can be going?"  
"Ha ha, why, we'll even help you along your way... to hell! Shio! Kosho! Destroy them!"  
Two men stepped forward from the group. They were clad in identical, fearsome looking armor. The only difference was the plumes atop their helmets: one was black, the other was white. The bandits snickered as their two elite warriors approached Lina and the gang.  
"I'll take that tall blonde with the sword, if that's all right with you, Shio," the one with the black plume said. Shio stopped.  
"Of course it's not all right! _I'll_ take him. You can have that blue-faced guy, Kosho."  
"What! Why don't _you_ take him?"  
"No!"  
Lina was getting rather irritated. "That's it..." she said. _"Fireball!"_  
Shio and Kosho stood and stared for a few moments. Then they shouted in unison.  
"Get the red-head!"  
The two charged, but were knocked back by another Fireball. Many of the bandits were hit by the spell, too, so they eagerly joined the fight. Within moments it became an all-out free-for-all. Kristy quickly learned that Flare Arrows were best aimed at large, dense bunches of bandits- the spell wasn't as easy to aim as everyone made it look. She heard a noise behind her, and spun around to face a half-dozen bandits.  
"Aah! _Flare Arrow!_" Kristy glanced quickly around to see if there was any other immediate danger. "Oh, I'm sorry, Zelgadis!"  
The slightly scorched chimera didn't look too pleased at having been caught at the edge of the blast.  
"_Look_ before you cast something!" he said angrily before moving on.  
Meanwhile Lina had found a break in the fighting large enough to allow her to cast something a bit more powerful.  
_"Darkness beyond twilight..."_  
Gourry easily sliced Kosho's sword in half.  
_"...blood that flows..."_  
Filia pounded a good dozen bandits with a single swing of her mace.  
_"...the stream of time..."_  
Kristy and Amelia worked together to keep the attacking bandits away from Lina as she finished her spell.  
_"...all the foes who..."_  
Zelgadis parried Shio's attack.  
_"...bestowed on my..."_  
Sylphiel joined forces with Kristy and Amelia to keep off the bandits.  
_"...Dragon Slave!"_  
Needless to say, that pretty much ended the fight. Those bandits who still could ran for it, shouting back curses and threats.  
"Ahh, that felt good," Lina grinned.  
"Bravo, what an excellent show!"  
Lina moaned. "There goes my good mood..." she muttered. "And just what made you decide to show up, Xelloss?" she asked. "Come to think of it, where did you disappear to in the first place?"  
"Ah, now that is a secret!"  
"Xelloss!!"  
But the mazoku merely smiled and said no more.  
"Well, aren't we going to get going?" Kristy asked after a brief pause.  
"Huh? Oh, of course!" Lina replied. "Hey, c'mon, you guys!"  
"Say Lina," Filia said, "where are we going, anyway?"  
"You'll see. We should get there by tomorrow morning," was Lina's reply.  
"Yes, as long as Lina doesn't cause even more trouble than she usually does," Xelloss remarked.  
"Why, you... _Fireball!"_  
Xelloss teleported out of the way, causing the Fireball to hit the all ready slightly scorched Zelgadis.  
"Lina! Watch where you're throwing those things!"  
"Sorry, Zel!"  
And the rest of the after noon went on something like that.  
  
  
**End of Chapter 6**  
  
**********  
  
Kristy: Hey everyone! Today we're going to have a quick review of a certain shamanistic spell, just in case anyone has forgotten. And who should we have but the shamanistic expert, Zelgadis! ....... HEY, ZEL!  
Zelgadis: I'm here all ready, you don't need to shout. Anyway, what did you want me to talk about?  
Kristy: Could you explain a bit about the Flare Arrow?  
Zelgadis: Of course. The Flare Arrow is a shamanistic spell of the fire group-  
Kristy: No, I meant about the incantation.  
Zelgadis: Fine. Flare Arrow, like most spells, has an incantation. But there is also a commonly used variant in which the caster only speaks the name of the spell to cast it. The variant isn't as powerful as the original, however.  
Kristy: And it's the variant that I have trouble aiming sometimes...  
Zelgadis: ......  
Kristy: Well, that's all for today! See you later!  



	7. Chapter 7- Legendary Blade! The Secret ...

**Chapter 7 - Legendary Blade! The Secret of Gourry's Sword!**  
  
  
The midmorning sun shone brightly as everyone walked along the mountain path.  
"Are we almost there?" Gourry asked.  
"Yes!" Lina replied. "Now stop asking!"  
The rounded a bend and emerged on a high ridge overlooking a deep valley. Filia gasped, not because of the stunning view, but because the valley was filled with dragons!  
"Oh, that's right," Lina said. "You haven't been here before."  
Zelgadis and Amelia had been scanning the valley for something.  
"I don't see him anywhere..." Zelgadis said.  
"Huh? Let me look." Lina peered intently out over the valley. "Hm, I can't find him, either..."  
"Find who?" Filia asked.  
"An old friend of ours." Lina continued to gaze across the valley. Suddenly she jumped, shouting, as she felt a hand on her shoulder. Everyone turned to see what was going on. A tall man with long, golden hair stood there, grinning smugly.  
"Milgazia!" Lina exclaimed. "We were looking for you!"  
"Well, it's good to see you all again," Milgazia said. "Zelgadis, Amelia, it's been a while. And, Sylphiel, is it? Welcome." He looked at Xelloss and frowned. "I don't believe that either of us thinks that 'welcome' would be an accurate greeting..."  
Xelloss smiled. "I suppose I would have to agree with you, dragon."  
Milgazia turned his attention back to Lina.  
"And who are these two?" he asked.  
"Oh, this is Kristy..."  
"Hi!" Kristy said cheerfully.  
"...and this is Filia, former priestess of the Fire Dragon King. Filia, Milgazia is the leader of the dragons here."  
Milgazia looked intently at Filia.  
"Fire Dragon King? I had heard that the entire clan was wiped out."  
"They were," Filia said. "I gave up my position as priestess during the battle with Dark Star."  
"Ah, so you were the one who aided Lina in defeating the dark lord? I am honored."  
Filia blushed.  
"My my, it would seem dear Filia may be a little fond of the man," Xelloss remarked. Filia pulled out her mace to attack him, shouting angrily. Milgazia looked shocked at the younger dragon's behavior.  
"Does she always do that?" he asked.  
"Yeah," Lina said, "but Xelloss seems to enjoy it..."  
A little later, when Filia had calmed down, Milgazia asked what had brought them so far to see him.  
"Oh!" Lina replied. "Gourry! Get over here!" She turned to Milgazia. "It was Gourry's idea. He was worried that the enchantment you put on his sword might be wearing off. I told him it was perfectly fine, but he insisted on seeing you."  
"Well, let me see it..." He took the sword from Gourry, examining it closely. "Gourry, why do you think that the spell might be wearing off?"  
Gourry thought for a few moments. "Well, you said your spell was to make it not as sharp so it wouldn't be so dangerous, right?"  
"Yes..."  
"But it seems like it's getting sharper again, because it cuts things more easily."  
Milgazia laughed. "Gourry, your sword's perfectly fine! You've just gotten stronger and better at handling it."  
Gourry blinked. "Oh."  
Lina sighed and shook her head. She glanced around and noticed that Sylphiel, Filia, and to a lesser extent, Kristy looked somewhat confused.  
"Oh, I forgot!" she said. "I didn't tell you about the sword, did I?"  
Sylphiel shook her head. Milgazia spoke.  
"Now may be a good time, then."  
"Okay. I told you about what happened in Solaria, right?"  
"Some," Filia said.  
"Well," Lina continued, "Gourry still didn't have a sword then, after losing the Sword of Light. So I bought him a magic sword to use. It wasn't the best, but it was better than nothing. Anyway in Solaria we were fighting this guy Laavas with Luke and Milina..."  
"Wait, who are Luke and Milina?"  
Lina sighed, realizing this would take longer than she had thought. "Luke and Milina were some people Gourry and I met and worked with sometimes. Now as I was saying, we were fighting this guy, and he breaks Gourry's and Luke's swords. He also destroys everything in the room, all the magic items, the treasure, everything, except for this one sword. I yelled at Gourry to grab it, and we used it to help defeat Laavas."  
"So that's the sword Gourry has?" Kristy asked.  
"Sorta," Lina replied. "We thought it was pretty much just an ordinary sword, until that battle with Dynast."  
"I remember that," Milgazia said. Xelloss had raised an eyebrow at the mention of the dark lord Dynast's name, but he remained silent, listening for more details.  
"Anyway," Lina was saying, "we were fighting Dynast with Milgazia and Memphis..."  
"Who's Memphis?" Sylphiel asked. This time Milgazia replied.  
"She's a friend of mine. When we made the Zenafa armor she was the one who used it."  
"Hold it, 'Zenafa armor'?"  
At this point Lina was about ready to give up. Milgazia suggested that maybe they should take a break and have something to eat. This was readily agreed to, and Milgazia explained a few things as they ate.  
"Okay," Kristy was saying, "so Memphis is an elf and your friend, and helped defeat Dynast."  
Milgazia nodded.  
"And Zenafa armor is a chimera armor that is the true form of the magic beast Zanaffar."  
"That's right. Filia, Sylphiel, do you two understand as well?"  
They nodded.  
"Good. Now, Lina, would you like to continue telling the story or should I?"  
"I got it." Lina was quite refreshed by her meal. "We were at the battle with Dynast, right? Well, Gourry attacked Dynast with his sword. Dynast ignored him, because physical weapons don't hurt mazoku, but Milgazia had put a spell on the sword so it could channel his power. Dynast wasn't hurt much, but he got mad and grabbed the sword, breaking it. Then we saw, another blade hidden within the first! After defeating Dynast, we looked at the sword. It turned out it was the legendary Blast Sword."  
Sylphiel looked confused. "But why was it in another blade?"  
"I was getting to that! We found out that the sword was super-sharp. So sharp that when we dropped it, it would cut right through the stone up to the hilt. And if it was put in a sheath, if it moved at all it would slice through as if the sheath weren't even there. It was so sharp, it was practically useless." Lina paused to let this sink in, then continued on.  
"It was Milgazia who solved the problem. He put a new spell on the sword that would make the blade just a little dull so that it could be used. But it's still sharp enough to slice through a boulder without trying."  
"Wow."  


----------

As evening drew near they had to leave. Lina asked Milgazia if he would like to come with, but he said he had other things to attend to. So they left the valley the way they had come.  
The shadows of the forest were increase by the gathering dusk. Suddenly Gourry stopped, causing Sylphiel to bump into him.  
"What is it?" she asked.  
"It felt like something was watching me," Gourry replied, looking around.  
"You're just imagining things!" Lina accused.  
"No," Zelgadis said, "I thought I sensed something too..."  
Lina was about to reply, but was interrupted by a whining cackle.  
"Ehehehehe! You shall not escape meeeee, Inverse!"  
  
  
**End of Chapter 7**  
  
**********  
  
Kristy: Welcome back! You might've been a little confused by some of the stuff in this chapter, so it'll be explained now.  
AC: I think I should take care of this one...  
Kristy: Why?  
AC: Because it's easier for me to explain directly than through another character.  
Kristy: Awww....  
AC: Anyway, most of this chapter (and the story, for that matter) is based my own hybrid timeline of both the anime series and the original Slayers novels. In the novels, the events of Slayers Try never happened, and in the anime, there's nothing from beyond halfway through the novels. The Blast Sword, characters such as Luke, Milina, and Memphis, and the events Lina described in this chapter are all taken from the novels. I haven't read all the novels myself, but I've read the summaries. The site I found them on is called QP's Slayers Page and can be found at http://member.nifty.ne.jp/QPHOUSE/qp/slayers/slyr_e.html That's all.  
Kristy: This isn't fair, I never get to do *my* afterword anymore...  



	8. Chapter 8- Another Fight! A Clue to the...

**Chapter 8 - Another Fight! A Clue to the Bandits?**  
  
  
"Who's there?" Lina shouted into the gathering darkness.  
"Ehehe, only the one who is going to destroy you! And you've fallen right into my trap!"  
"Wha?!" Lina tried to cast a spell at the voice, only to find that she couldn't move. Neither could anyone else.  
"Hey, what's going on?" Kristy said.  
"Ehehehehe! The night's shadows have caught you, allowing me to finish you off at my leisure."  
_Shadows? Wait a minute...  
"Lighting!"_  
There was a shriek as the half-dozen spells lit the area, blinding whoever the voice had belonged to. Everyone turned to see a somewhat short, balding man in black robes, cursing and rubbing his eyes.  
"Nice trick," Lina said, "using a variant of the Shadow Web like that. But still foolish to use something to easily countered.  
The man, still blinking furiously and squinting in the light, stared angrily at them.  
"So you've managed to see through my trap. That still does not mean you are a match for Ris, the mighty bear!"  
Lina blinked.  
"Wait a minute, don't tell me you're a member of that gang..."  
"Ehehe, you are very perceptive! I am one of the top five members of the Kill Lina Inverse Gang." He paused suddenly. "Oh, I forgot, that was top-secret information. No matter, I'll be destroying you all, anyway! _Mega Brand!_"  
The ground exploded all around, throwing chunks of dirt into the air, and knocking everyone off balance. Lina wasn't too pleased at landing flat on her chest. She immediately retaliated with a Fireball.  
_"Diem Win!"_ Ris used a blast of air to deflect the attack.  
_"Flare Arrow!"  
"Grey Bomb!"  
"Mono Volt!"_  
Since Ris had been distracted blocking Lina's Fireball, he was taken by surprise by the others' attacks. Stunned for a few moments, he stood up again with a very angry expression on his face.  
"That's it!" he shrieked. _"Dug Haut!"_  
Great spires of earth erupted from the ground. Everyone who could got out of the way with Ray Wing or Levitation, and Gourry easily cleaved the stony pillars with the Blast Sword.  
"Poor choice of techniques..." Kristy heard Zelgadis mutter. Lina nodded.  
"Wrong terrain."  
Kristy was a little confused for a moment, then realized what the two were talking about.  
_Of course! There's so many trees here that they become an obstacle to the earth magic. And if that's the case..._  
Kristy landed on a branch in one of the trees, figuring that since Ris seemed to favor earth spells, staying off the ground would make it easier to dodge. The others seemed to have the same idea as well.  
"Why, you...!" Ris was looking extremely frustrated. He tried some wind spells, but it was quite clear that earth was his forte. In the meantime, Lina was preparing a special spell. In a brief silence as Ris paused to catch his breath, Lina's words could be heard clearly.  
_"...where your power grows. I pledge myself to conquer..."_  
Ris's eyes grew wide as he recognized the spell. He turned to run, but found the path blocked by the upturned earth and felled trees his spells had caused.  
_"Dragon Slave!"_  
The surrounding night was brightly illuminated by the powerful spell and subsequent explosion. Lina stretched, then turned to glare at Xelloss.  
"It is within your power to help once in a while..."  
Xelloss shrugged.  
"It wouldn't be as interesting then."  
Lina, however, was too tired to argue.  
"We should get going and find some place to sleep..."  
Zelgadis nodded. "Aside from the torn up ground," he said, "those light spells won't wear off for another few hours."  
"Then let's go. I'd like to get SOME sleep tonight..."  


----------

It was midmorning before everyone was awake. After a quick breakfast, they sat down to discuss what their next move would be.  
"Obviously," Zelgadis was saying, "that Kill Lina Inverse Gang is not going to give up easily."  
"That's for sure, unfortunately," Lina sighed. "Those guys are getting to be a real pain..."  
Everyone nodded in agreement.  
"Hey, didn't that Ris guy say something about top members of the gang or something?" Kristy commented.  
"Oh yeah, that's right. So maybe if we defeat them all... How many did he say there were?"  
"Five."  
Zelgadis stared at Kristy. "How do you remember that kind of stuff?"  
Kristy shrugged. "I guess I'm just good at noticing obscure details."  
"Anyway," Lina continued, "since Ris is taken care, then there's just four more to go, and that ought to break up the gang."  
"Sounds plausible enough," Zelgadis said. "But where do you plan on starting? We really don't know anything about them."  
"Simple! First we need to gather information, and what better place to look than the local bandit gangs and criminal circles? Plus we might be able to pick up some treasure while we're at it."  
This seemed like a workable plan, and since no one had any better ideas everyone agreed to it.  
"Okay!" Lina had wasted no time in asserting command. "We'll start at the town at the foot of the mountain!"  
"Why there?"  
"Because, by the time we get there, it'll be time for lunch!"  


----------

Everyone was sitting in a restaurant, waiting for their food to arrive.  
"What?!" Lina exclaimed. "You've _never_ even tasted it??"  
"No," Kristy shook her head. "I've never been anywhere near here before."  
"Well then that settles is. No way you can travel through here and not have the local specialty. Waiter!" Lina promptly added a sizable amount to the order.  
When the food arrived, Lina insisted on seeing what Kristy though of it before she started eating. In fact, everyone was curious.  
Kristy took a forkful of the steaming hot dish. It certainly _smelled_ good...  
She took a large bite, chewed for a bit, and swallowed. Everyone stared, waiting to hear her reaction.  
"It's... GOOD!!!"  
Instantly everyone was upon the food. Well, everyone except Xelloss, but he doesn't count.  
In no time at all the food was completely gone. It was difficult to tell who had eaten the most, but there seemed to be two most likely candidates. Lina, of course, is well known for her appetite, but in this case she might've been outdone by Kristy.  
  
  
**End of Chapter 8**  
  
**********  
  
Kristy: Hey everyone! What did you think of that last chapter? Looks like things're starting to get more complicated. Too bad Amelia, Filia, and Sylphiel didn't get a big part in this chapter.  
Lina: And yet Xelloss *always* manages to show up...  
Xelloss: Ah, but Lina, without me there wouldn't be any story!  
Kristy: Hey, this is *my* section, remember?  
Lina: Oh yeah, hey Kristy, what did you think of Milgazia?  
Kristy: That was in chapter seven. This is chapter eight...  
Lina: I know, but I didn't get a chance to ask you then.  
Kristy: I don't care! Oh, and a note to readers, the author would like it if she had more people to talk to on e-mail. ^_~  
Lina: You still haven't answered my question. I don't think you're that forgetful, or are you just too shy to answer?  
Xelloss: No, Kristy's not interested in anyway but me...  
_Xelloss grins and winks._  
Kristy: Hey, just SHUT UP! Well, um, that's all for today. I really must be going, I have to make sure a two certain Somebodys get a good thrashing...  



	9. Chapter 9- Continued Confrontations! A ...

**Chapter 9 - Continued Confrontations! A Little's Better than None!**  
  
  
Zelgadis sighed.  
"Three days, and we're still no further than when we started."  
"I know," Lina said, looking around the remains of what had recently been a bandit hideout. "But at least we didn't come out empty-handed," she added, referring to the decent sum of treasure she had claimed from the bandits' hordes.  
"Still, we haven't found a single piece of useful information."  
Then we'll just keep looking 'til we d-"  
A loud crash cut Lina off. Everyone turned to see that Amelia had tripped and fallen into a previously unnoticed doorway.  
"_Another_ secret passageway?"  
"Hey, there might be more treasure!" Lina immediately dashed into the room. "Aw, it's just a bunch of old pottery!"  
"It's too bad Miss Filia had to leave," Sylphiel commented. "She would've loved to look through all these antiques..."  
"Yeah," Kristy agreed, "but she was worried that she'd stayed too long all ready."  
By this time Lina was finally convinced that there was no more treasure to be found.  
"It doesn't look like we'll find any information here, so let's get going!"  
Lina promptly took off, as Kristy whispered something to Amelia about whether Lina knew that information and treasure were two different things. Amelia laughed, and so didn't look where she was walking. She tripped and crashed into Gourry, who fell on Zelgadis, who was knocked into Sylphiel, who was sent crashing into Lina. Kristy was left standing and trying to keep from laughing too hard at the rather ridiculous scene. Xelloss smirked.  
"Nice job," he said, and knowing Xelloss he probably meant it, too.  
Kristy shrugged indifferently and went to help everyone out.  


----------

Later that day, they had stopped for a quick break.  
"Hey, what's that?" Amelia asked Kristy, who was busy writing in a fairly small, leather-bound book.  
"Oh, this? I picked it up when we were in town. I've been keeping some notes on spells and magic theory."  
"Oh, like what?"  
"Well, here I have incantations and theory of the basic spells. And over here," she flipped to some pages further back, "is where I've been working on some stuff of my own."  
Even though Amelia couldn't figure out most of Kristy's notes, diagrams, and calculations, she still looked over them with interest.  
"What's this one?" she asked, pointing.  
"Oh, I was trying to figure out a less destructive variant of Dug Haut, but I keep thinking I missed something, though I can't find anything wrong."  
"Then why don't you try it?"  
"Well, I don't know. I'm still not sure it's right..."  
"But you just said you couldn't find anything wrong. C'mon, you can just cast it at a tree or rock away from everyone, right?"  
Quite plainly, Amelia was very curious to see whatever new spell Kristy had been trying to create. Finally Kristy consented.  
"All right, but if something goes wrong it's not my fault for not warning you..."  
Kristy stood and faced a tree, away from anyone else, and cast the spell. Nothing happened.  
"See? I told you there was something wrong with it." Kristy went back to continue going over her notes. She was busy looking through a spell Zelgadis had taught her earlier when there was a sound like an eruption, accompanied by Lina's shouts and curses. Kristy quickly got up to go see what had happened.  
Several large vines or ropes of earth had appeared from the ground, entangling Lina, who was not looking very pleased. Gourry was busy cutting her loose, while everyone else stood staring in various states of bewilderment. Kristy was confused for a moment, then suddenly realized something.  
"Oh, so _that's_ what's wrong with the spell! I should've thought of that before..."  
Lina glared at Kristy.  
"So _you're_ responsible for this?"  
"Erm..." Kristy was glad that Lina was not yet freed enough to attack or cast a spell. "Well, it was something I'd been working on... But Amelia wanted me to try it."  
"Amelia!"  
As Lina was finally set free she was impatient for an explanation. But, of course, with Lina the term "explanation" is often synonymous with "confrontation". So it wasn't long before nearly everyone present was involved in the ordeal. And the whole thing cause by one miscast spell.  
"My my," Xelloss commented to Kristy, "you certainly have a seemingly innate ability to create chaos."  
Kristy made no reply.  


----------

After an adequate interval of time, everything was straightened out. Lina was appeased by Kristy, Amelia, and Zelgadis promising to buy her supper. And Zelgadis insisted on giving Kristy a lengthy lecture on magical theory and creating spells.  


----------

As it turned out, the next day they didn't have to go looking for bandits- the bandits found them first.  
"No, _I'll_ take point," Kosho exclaimed, "and you can circle around!"  
"I think not!"  
Everyone just stared as the two fought tooth and nail.  
"Say," Gourry remarked, "where's that Coat-thing guy?"  
"It's 'Kotri', and it's none of your business!" Shio and Kosho shouted in unison. Now that they finally agreed on something, they signaled the attack. The battle was short, however, because Lina had learned from the past confrontations and while they'd been arguing she had prepared a Dragon Slave.  
When the dust settled, they looked around to see what was left. Off to one side Lina caught one lone bandit who'd escaped her spell. Immediately she began questioning him, to see what information she could gather.  
"So," Lina said, "just what can you tell me about this gang of bandits you're running around with?"  
"Well, ah... ah...."  
"Okay, let me be more specific. What's this we've heard about five 'top members' or whatever of the gang?"  
By this time the bandit seemed to have recovered a bit. "What will you give me if I tell you?" he replied.  
"I don't think you are in a position to set the terms..." Zelgadis said, his unsheathed sword held casually in one hand. The bandit gulped.  
"I-I don't know much, only rumors, honest! But I hear some people sayin' that one of the Big Guys, I don't know who, was headed this way. Something or another 'bout revenge I think. They say that one guy's defeated, but I really don't know anything!"  
"So then, where might we find this 'Big Guy' of yours?"  
"Um, well, rumor's that he's comin' up from the south, I think..."  
Lina shrugged. "Well, I guess that's better than nothing..."  
"Miss Lina, what are we going to do about him?" Sylphiel asked. Lina grinned.  


----------

In town, the local sheriff was quite surprised to encounter a bandit, hurriedly admitting all of his crimes and practically begging to be taken to prison. The sheriff, utterly bewildered, still wasted no time in arresting him. But he never could quite figure out just what had made the bandit come confess...  
  
  
**End of Chapter 9**  
  
**********  
  
Kristy: Finally! I think I've actually gotten everyone else out of here!  
_Kristy glances over at the locked door behind her._  
Kristy: Well then, I have to say, avoid lectures by Zelgadis at all costs. Oh, and always have enough money to buy Lina supper, just in case you get her mad. I actually think it's quite funny how easily she's appeased by food...  
Xelloss: Shall I tell her you said that?  
Kristy: Xelloss! No, don't!  
Xelloss: What's the magic word?  
Kristy: Please?  
Xelloss: Nope! I'll be going then...  
Kristy: Grr, stupid piece of garbage!  
Xelloss: Thank you.  



	10. Chapter 10- What's This? Rumor of a Hor...

**Chapter 10 - What's This? Rumor of a Horn of Plenty!**  
  
  
"Ahh, that was good..." Lina sat back, patting her full stomach. They were at a restaurant, the piles of empty dishes on the table evidence of a recently finished meal. "Hey Xelloss, what've you got there?" Lina asked, noticing a piece of parchment in the mazoku's hands.  
"Oh, nothing much, just some local legends..."  
"Lemme see that!" She grabbed the parchment and looked over it. She gasped. "A Cornucopia?!"  
Gourry was confused. "What's a 'Corny-copier'?"  
"Cornucopia," Zelgadis corrected him. "It's also called the 'Horn of Plenty'. It's said that the Cornucopia can produce unlimited food of any kind."  
Lina was busy daydreaming of infinite food, so Zelgadis took the parchment from her hands. He read carefully through it.  
"Hm, according to this, there's long been a local legend of a horn filled with endless food. But sometime ago it was taken and hoarded by a rich lord and became hidden somewhere deep in his vast halls. Many people have looked for it, but either failed miserably or never returned."  
"We have to go find it!" Lina exclaimed suddenly. "This is a once in a lifetime opportunity!"  
Zelgadis stared at her for a moment. "What about the bandit gang?"  
"This is more important. If I had the Cornucopia, I'd never have to worry about food again!"  
This, Zelgadis had to admit, was true, and it was common knowledge that coming between Lina and food was a bad idea. So in the end everyone consented, and Lina led the way on the quest to find the Cornucopia.  
Not long after they had left the town, Kristy realized something.  
"Hey, did anyone else notice that Xelloss isn't here?"  
Lina barely hesitated.  
"So then there's one less thing in the way that we have to deal with!" she replied.  
"Maybe he had other things he had to do," Sylphiel suggested.  
"Maybe..." Kristy decided to let the matter go, despite the fact that after watching countless hours of anime she was pretty certain that things wouldn't work out so nicely.  


----------

There was a crossroads ahead. Lina stopped and glanced around.  
"Okay, where does that thing say we have to go?"  
"Uh... bay coke?"  
Lina turned and glared at Gourry as Amelia took the parchment from him.  
"It says, 'Go not the right into the sun, then all your plans will be undone'." She looked up, a confused expression on her face.  
"I think that means, 'go left'," Zelgadis said.  
"Right!" Lina replied.  
"But I thought Zelgadis said it was left," Gourry mumbled, confused.  
"It is!"  
"Then why'd you say 'right'?"  
By now Lina had already started off down the path.  
"Never mind, Gourry dear," Sylphiel said, as they all continued on after Lina.  


----------

Sometime later, after several more perplexing directions from the parchment, they arrived at the remains of an old castle built into a mountain. Sylphiel read from the parchment.  
"'See the floor above twisting door go around find one more'."  
Everyone blinked.  
"Is that supposed to be a sentence?" Zelgadis said.  
"I'm beginning to wonder if whoever wrote that was completely wasted at the time..." Kristy commented.  
"Hey, guys!" Gourry called. "I found the entrance!"  
"What?! But how did you...?"  
Gourry pointed to an odd-looking rock formation to one side.  
"That space looks kinda like a door, but it's all twisted. And the part above it looks like another floor. So I looked around on the other side and there was an entrance."  
There was a brief, stunned silence.  
"Does that look like a door to you?" Lina asked Sylphiel. Sylphiel shook her head. "Oh well, at least we found the way in. Let's go!"  
Inside there was a single long, straight hall. Once again the parchment was consulted.  
"Huge suddenly from no where roar and quiet long sharp of shadow eyes beware!"  
Again, there was a confused silence.  
"That was even less coherent than that last one," Zelgadis shook his head. "I didn't know that was possible..."  
"Still, we need to figure out what it means, and I don't think that Jellyfish Brains is going to come up with any more solutions anytime soon."  
They fell silent as they continued on, trying to decipher the perplexing clue. A low rumbling noise could be heard.  
"Gourry!" Lina accused.  
"It wasn't me!" the swordsman replied.  
The sound came again, louder this time.  
"...Then what is it?"  
There was a deafening bellow, then silence.  
"Maybe it was just some landslide or something on the outside..."  
Suddenly, with a thunderous roar, a huge monster was in front of them. It had long, razor claws, dozens of sharp fangs, and narrow red eyes that gleamed with ferocity.  
That and really, really bad breath.  
The monster roared and bellowed, but Lina, who was standing in front and therefore the closest, did little more than hold her nose against the stench.  
"Why doesn't it attack?" Amelia wondered.  
"Because..." Lina said, and chanted a spell.  
_"Flare Arrow!"_  
A single volley was all that was needed to take care of the monster.  
"...it's a pathetic weakling."  
Lina strode on past the charred remains. Finally, they reached the end of the hall. There they were confronted by a solid stone wall.  
"Okay, what does the parchment say?" Lina asked, bracing herself for yet another of its distorted phrases. Kristy took out the parchment and read aloud.  
"'Press the stone with the number 1 on it'."  
Once again, there was a brief silence.  
"Sheesh," Lina said, " couldn't they've written the whole thing like that?"  
Zelgadis was shaking his head. "Let's just go and get this over with already..." He walked over and pressed the stone. Immediately the wall slid back to reveal a chamber beyond, with a single small table in the middle. Lina gasped.  
"There it is!" She ran forward and picked up the Cornucopia. "Now, what food do I want first... How about some roast for started?"  
Something fell out of the horn. But it certainly didn't look or smell anything like roast.  
"What? Some cake, then!"  
An unsightly mass splattered across the table. Kristy took the Cornucopia from the confused Lina and looked over it.  
"Hey, what's this? 'Best if used before...' An expiration date?!"  
Zelgadis looked over. "It seems it expired some centuries ago. It still can produce nay food there is, it's just no longer fresh."  
"How unfortunate..." Sylphiel said. Lina took the horn.  
"Hmph, this thing is useless!" She tossed it into a back corner of the room and stomped off. Everyone followed her, a bit disappointed as well. The search for the Cornucopia had turned out to be a complete waste of time and energy, would you expect anything less? Kristy, at least, really wasn't all that surprised.  
  
  
**End of Chapter 10**  
  
**********  
  
Xelloss: Erm, well, due to certain incidents in last chapter's Afterword, I have been asked to tell you that no I did NOT tell Lina what Kristy said, and I never will.  
AC: You had better not, or I assure you the next chapter will be far from pleasant for you.  
_Xelloss cringes._  
Xelloss: That's all.  
_He teleports away._  
AC: Before I go, I'd like to thank War Serebii for help with the idea for this chapter.  
_She also disappears. Hey, the author can do anything she wants!_  
Kristy: Well, now that that's been taken care of, I think I point out one quick thing in this chapter. Because of the dubbed version of Slayers, many people confuse ordinary monsters with mazoku. Xelloss is a mazoku, which means he's basically a being made of pure evil. The monster we ran into was just that, a living creature that was looking for a fight. And I do hope that we don't ever need to find out just what AC'll do if Xelloss (or anyone else) really gets her mad...  



	11. Chapter 11- Everyone Ready, Bring on Ban...

**Chapter 11 - Everyone Ready, Bring on Bandit Number 2!**  
  
  
"Well, looking for that Cornucopia had at least one positive result," Lina was saying.  
"What's that?" Amelia asked.  
"It got rid of you-know-who. He hasn't shown up since."  
Everyone agreed that this was true, except for Gourry who was a little confused.  
"Oh!" he said suddenly. "You mean Xe-"  
"Don't say it!" Lina exclaimed, cutting off Gourry's remark. "You wouldn't want _him_ to hear you and come investigate, would you?"  
Gourry shook his head.  
"Well Lina," Kristy said, "I didn't know you were superstitious about that kind of stuff..."  
"I'm not," Lina replied. "It's just that with _him_ I don't take any chances."  
Kristy thought that was rather funny, and was about to say so, but a glare from Zelgadis told her that she'd be better off keeping her mouth shut. In the meantime Lina seemed to have finally given up on making excuses about the previous incident.  


----------

The afternoon was sunny. Lina stretched and yawned.  
"What a nice day," she said to no one in particular. Noticing a nicely shady spot nearby she paused.  
"Hey, since we're not exactly going anywhere specific, we might as well take a quick break and enjoy the day."  
"That's a good idea, Miss Lina," Sylphiel agreed. "I could use a rest."  
Gourry blinked, confused.  
"Ah, Lina? Weren't you going to look for those bandits?"  
"It can wait a bit..." Lina replied sleepily. Gourry turned to Zelgadis- surely he at least would agree, but found the chimera already asleep on the soft grass. A bit perplexed, Gourry sat down, deciding to keep watch since the others seemed to want their sleep.  
A few minutes later a low rumble through the ground made Gourry look up. It felt like something big was approaching. Gourry stood up and looked all around, then finally spotted the large golem heading for the group. On its shoulder stood a cloaked figure whose face couldn't be made out.  
"Hoho," the figure said, "my plan worked perfectly."  
"Hey, who are you?" Gourry asked, stepping forward.  
"Ho?" the figure turned, surprised, to look at Gourry. "So, you escaped my enchantment? No matter, my golem will take care of you!"  
The golem attacked, the cloaked figure jumping off to the ground behind it. Unsheathing his sword, Gourry fought skillfully. In moments the golem had been reduced to piles of boulders and rubble.  
"What?! You... you..." the cloaked figure stammered, then disappeared into the cloud of dust created by the fallen golem.  
"Nn... Gourry?" Lina blinked, slowly coming awake. "What's going on?"  
"Well, there was this big stone guy..."  
"A golem," Zelgadis said, looking at the rubble scattered about.  
"So it must have been some sort of sorcerer," Lina said.  
"But why did they attack?" asked Amelia. Lina started to say something but was interrupted.  
"Hohoho!" a voice said. Everyone turned to see the cloaked figure that had been with the golem Gourry fought. "I almost had you there with my sleeping enchantment."  
"Hey, just who are you?" Lina asked.  
"Ho, I am only one of the most powerful members of the Kill Lina Inverse Gang!" Tossing the cloak aside, the speaker was revealed to be a black-leather clad sorceress with fiery red hair. "Kokoa, the fierce tigress!"  
"Sheesh," Kristy muttered to herself, "blazing eagle, mighty bear, fierce tigress- what's next, iron mouse?"  
Fortunately, her comment was not overheard. Kokoa continued to talk.  
"You may have escaped my trap, but my golems will take care of you. Hohohoho! Attack!"  
She cracked a long leather whip that she had been holding. There was a brief silence, then the ground started to shake. Golems that had been disguised as natural boulders across the countryside charged forward from all directions to attack.  
Lina stared at Kokoa.  
"Do you really think you can beat _me_, Lina Inverse, with a bunch of rocks?" she said.  
"Hoho, of course not. I never let my darlings alone. _Grey Bomb!_"  
The ground exploded under the feet of Lina and the others, knocking everyone off balance just as the golems attacked. For several moments it was pure chaos as everyone tried to quickly defend themselves and fight back. Gourry had a slight advantage in the fact that it's easier to swing a sword than cast a spell, so he was cutting down golems within moments.  
Lina was casting spells the moment she'd recovered her balance, and was dealing quite a bit of damage to the golems in front of her. Kristy had found that her "earthy vine" spell that had caused Lina so much trouble a few days before was quite effective for spotting attacking golems in their tracks. Zelgadis, for his part, would have been destroying quite a few more golems if he wasn't constantly having to help out whenever Sylphiel messed up a spell or Amelia took on more than she could handle.  
Finally Lina broke out of the fight and stood facing Kokoa, leaving the others to finish off the golems.  
"You know, you guys are really starting to annoy me," Lina said.  
"Hohoho, don't you enjoy playing with my darlings?"  
_"Fireball!"_  
Lina's spell was cast almost before Kokoa had finished speaking. Kokoa managed to dodge most of the blast, but looked rather angered.  
"Why you, I'll show you! Hohohoho! _Astral Vine!_" Kokoa charged her whip with magical energy, then swung it around to attack Lina. Lina jumped to the side to dodge, firing a Flare Arrow. Kokoa snapped the whip around and deflected it.  
"Hohohoho! You can't even hit me like that! Hohohoh- ho?"  
Kokoa stopped abruptly- Lina was no where in sight.  
"Try looking up," Lina said, hovering above with Levitation. "Now let's try this again, _Flare Arrow!_"  
There was a chance Kokoa might've blocked the attack, except for the fact that several other spells had been cast in her direction at the same time.  
"Hey Lina," Kristy said, "you should be more careful, we had to take care of several golems that were about to attack you from behind."  
Zelgadis's annoyed expression testified to the truth of the statement.  
"At least I took care of that annoying Kokoa person," Lina said.  
"I wonder what happened to that guy who attacked me earlier," Gourry said.  
Everyone stared at him. Even Sylphiel didn't make a reply.  
After a brief pause, Lina spoke.  
"Well, that's two down now, only three more and I'll be rid of those stupid bandits."  
Everyone agreed with that. Though no one pointed out the fact that Lina hadn't defeated the gang members alone, and if they all decided to leave it would be (and technically is) solely Lina's problem.  
Or maybe they were all so used to Lina that they didn't even think about it.  
  
  
**End of Chapter 11**  
  
**********  
  
Kristy: After a considerable delay, the author has finally gotten back on track for writing this fic.  
Zelgadis: Are you certain that's a good thing?  
Kristy: It is for me. And usually for Lina, too, since no matter what she still is the main character of Slayers, after all.  
Lina: You got that right. Think I should threaten to Dragon Slave her if she gets delayed too long again?  
Xelloss: Now that I would like to see.  
Lina: Xelloss!  
Kristy: Hehe, he's right, it would be very interesting...  
Xelloss: Just not for Lina.  
Kristy: Yes. Now it's time to go, so get out of here, all of you! Oh! No, not you guys, readers can stay, I meant everyone else. Err, I better go now. Bye!  



	12. Chapter 12- Just a Harmless Prank! Now ...

**Chapter 12 - Just a Harmless Prank! Now on to the Next Event!**  
  
  
Xelloss sat in an upper branch of a tree, watching for any chance to cause some trouble. So far things had been fairly quiet today. He'd have to do something about that...  
"Xelloss!"  
Surprised, the mazoku momentarily lost his balance and fell off the branch, though he immediately teleported back up. Kristy grinned mischievously.  
"You certainly seem to be in a good mood," Xelloss said. Kristy shrugged.  
"Just finding something to do until Lina finds that little surprise I set up for her. Then I'll probably be dodging Fireballs."  
That, of course, got Xelloss interested.  
"What did you do?" he asked.  
"Oh, just a harmless little prank," Kristy said with a sly grin. "She should be finding it any moment now." She climbed back down to the ground. Rather curious, Xelloss turned around just in time to see an elaborate explosion, immediately followed by shouts, curses, and the sounds of a very angry Lina chasing a very amused prankster. Xelloss grinned. That girl certainly did have a talent for creating chaos.  
Kristy, meanwhile, was dashing through the trees, laughing and dodging Lina's spells. She felt a hand on her shoulder and suddenly she was up in a tree. Xelloss winked and disappeared again, presumably to furthar enrage Lina. Kristy listened to the ensuing confrontation for a while before heading back to the others.  


----------

"Was that really necessary?" Zelgadis said. Kristy shrugged.  
"It was funny," she replied. "Besides, it's not like anyone got hurt or anything."  
Zelgadis sighed. "Just don't bother Lina for the rest of the day, alright?" he said, Amelia and Sylphiel agreeing.  
"Fine," Kristy said. There was a brief silence, then Gourry spoke up.  
"Hey, where's Lina?" he said. Nobody had the patience to bother explaining.  


----------

The remainder of the day passed more or less pleasently- or at least a pleasantly as a still slightly annoyed Lina can get. That is, until sometime near the end of dinner.  
Now, everyone knows that getting between Lina and food is a bad idea. However everyone should also realize that this is easier said than done when the said food happens to be one's favorite. Especially when it is also the local specialty and so is both even better than usual as well as what everyone will probably order.  
Which was why dinner was far from pleasant for most everyone involved.  
"Give me that! You've already had your share!" Lina shouted, grabbing a plate of food.  
"Hey, it's _my_ favorite!" Kristy replied, snatching the dish back.  
"So?"  
"Hey, give that back!"  
Things went on like that for a while. Until somebody threw a Fireball. Then it was war.  
Everyone in the restaurant took cover or fled as Lina and Kristy battled it out. Zelgadis, Amelia, Sylphiel, and Gourry watched helplessly as the two fought, unable to do a thing to stop it.  
Various spells flew back and forth. Fortunately, the area affected was limited to the two points in the restaurant and the area between them, so damage wasn't as bad as it could have been.  
Suddenly the spells stopped. In the sudden quiet everyone could make out the words of a spell that even Gourry recognized- and feared.  
Panicking, Zelgadis, Amelia, Sylphiel, and Gourry dashed out from their cover to try to stop any disastrous spells from being cast. They narrowly managed to prevent any potential Dragon Slaves.  
  
Xelloss, meanwhile, found the whole situation enormously amusing and was busy laughing his rear off.  


--------

"I hate sleeping in the woods," Lina complained the next morning. No one pointed out that this was mostly her fault they'd been barred from the inn, as the one person who would've said so was also responsible.  
"So," Kristy said instead, "do you have any plan for finding the rest of those bandits?"  
Lina was silent for a few moments, thinking. Before she could say anything, though, Zelgadis spoke up.  
"I heard some of the people in that last town talking about some unusual activity going on at an old abandoned fort not far from town..."  
"Yes," Xelloss butted in, "there was a rather large discussion about it while you and Kristy were arguing over food, Lina."  
This remark earned him quite the glare from Lina.  
"Well, it would probably be worth checking out..." said Kristy.  
"I know," Lina said. Turning to Zelgadis, she asked, "any idea where this old fort is?"  
"Two kilometers straight south from the town," Xelloss said before anyone else could reply. Lina glared at him once again, but Zelgadis nodded.  
"That's what the townspeople said."  
There was a brief silence.  
"Then what are we waiting for?" Lina exclaimed suddenly. "Let's go check it out!"  


--------

The area around the fort was heavily wooded. As for the fort itself, it looked as if at one time it had been quite the stronghold, but it was now crumbling and vine-covered due to long neglect. In other words, it was the kind of place that would make a perfect hideout for a gang of bandits.  
Lina and the others kept themselves hidden, looking around. But there was no movement anywhere to be seen, and the only sound was that of the forest's noises.  
"There doesn't seem to be anyone around," Sylphiel said.  
"Yeah, the place looks pretty abandoned."  
After thinking for a brief moment, Lina announced her decision.  
"Then let's head in. We aren't getting anywhere just sitting here."  
With that she stood up and walked straight for the entrance. The others followed.  
Up close the fort was massive. Even in its deteriorated state it looked rather formidable. The entrance doors had long since rotted away, leaving a shadowy hole like a wound in the wall. Just inside was a dark hallway, though off in the distance the faint glow of a lamp or torch could be seen. As everyone's eyes adjusted to the darkness, they could see that there was something else in the hall in front of them.  
A tall, bony figure clad in flowing sorcerer's robes stood before the group in the center of the hall.  
"I knew I could lure you here," he said with a sinister grin.  
"Hey, who are you?" Lina demanded to know.  
"Who am I? Your demise!" the figure said, then disappeared. His voice echoed back from somewhere deep inside the fort.  
"Come and get me you little brat, if you dare! Bwahahahaha!"  
"What?! Who're you calling a little brat?" Lina was furious. "I'll show him!"  
She took off down the hall in the direction of the voice. With a sigh, the others followed.  
  
  
**End of Chapter 12**  
  
**********  
  
Kristy: Well, that was certainly fun.  
Xelloss: I agree. ^_^  
Zelgadis: I don't.  
Kristy: Aw, c'mon Zel, don't be so negative all the time. And we actually have a cliffhanger ending for once. Well, sorta...  
Zelgadis: I still fail to see why _you_ of all people here get to do these Afterword sections.  
Kristy: Because, I'm the main character of the fic, of course.  
Xelloss: Not to mention the author's avatar in the story.  
Kristy: Eh, yeah. Oh! And as for the lack of updates to the fic, it should go faster from now on, since now it's to the point where the author actually has stuff planned out in advance.  
Zelgadis: Somehow that doesn't sound so good...  
Kristy: Oh, be quiet. Anyway, that's all the time we have for today, so see you next chapter!  



End file.
